Best Healthy Diet for Diabetes: 7 Foods To Eat & 7 Foods To Avoid

Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder in which blood sugar level goes on high due to insulin deficiency. Mostly DM can be managed by a diet for diabetes and lifestyle modification along with medication or insulin therapy suggested by your health care professional.

Mainly there are two types of diabetes, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Types 1 DM is also known as Juvenile Diabetes because it is developed in childhood that affects children. The etiology of type 1 diabetes is unknown. It causes due to our own immunity distracts beta cells in the pancreas responsible for insulin production. It requires insulin injections externally because there are no insulin productions inside the body.

Type 2 DM is also a metabolism disorder also known as adult-onset diabetes. In this type of DM, your body can produce insulin but in insufficient quantity because of insulin resistance and most of the time don\’t require insulin injection and can be managed by a drug and dietary modification.

The main cause of insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes is obesity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits. Exercise, healthy food habits can help with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Diet For Diabetes

Foods To Eat

Whole Grain Cereals

Whole grain cereals are non-polished cereals with bran, germ, endosperm. They are rich in fiber and vitamins, proteins, and complex carbohydrates. Their high fiber content makes them diabetic-friendly food.

Whole grain flour is beneficial for diabetic patients. (1) Consumptions of whole-grain food lower the risk of diabetes. Whole grains are also rich in B complex vitamins and proteins.

Green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables like spinach, fenugreek, amaranth, etc. contain a good amount of vitamins and minerals. Among all food groups, green leafy vegetables are the best source of fiber. Include one portion of leafy vegetable either in form of salads or add-in evening snack bite, you can add green leafy vegetables to your roti, multigrain bread, dal, or add to pulao.

Leafy vegetables are rich in Vitamin A other carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin which protect the eye from macular degeneration. In diabetic patients, the eye is the most affected organ as a sign of complication. (2)

Lean chicken

Lean chicken is skinless chicken. High in protein and less in carbohydrates. It is good for diabetics because of its fewer carbohydrates and high protein content. Try to have steam or roasted chicken instead of fried ones, for good health results.

Fenugreek seed

Fenugreek seeds work as an anti-diabetic food. The inclusion of fenugreek 10gm / day is beneficial for prediabetic and diabetic patients. Sprouted fenugreek seed is more beneficial because it increases palatability and also nutritional value.

Fenugreek seeds contain galactomannan fiber which has prebiotic potential. (3) Fenugreek seeds have hypoglycemic effects without any risk of developing severe hypoglycemia. (4)

Boiled eggs

A boiled egg is rich in protein and all essential nutrients. It is known as a complete food. some people doubted eggs because of their cholesterol content. But their benefits are more and researches also proves that having one egg per day can improve blood sugar level and reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes. (5)

Sprouts

Sprouts are high in fiber and nutrient-enriched food. It contains Vitamin C, rich in proteins. Studies have been shown that broccoli sprouts have an excellent effect on type 2 diabetes and improve blood sugar profile. (6)

Salads of vegetables

every food which contains fiber is diabetic friendly because it slows the rise of blood glucose levels. Salads of vegetables are a rich source of fiber. Vegetables like cucumber, spinach, carrot, beetroot, onion stalks, and many other salad veggies are helpful in lower down blood glucose.

Food To Avoid

Refined Flours

Refined flour is made from wheat only. But because it is a processed product it lost all nutrients during processing. It is made from the endosperm of wheat grain and deficient in germ and bran. It is less in fiber with a high glycemic index, releasing glucose very fast into the bloodstream. Foods that contain maida like biscuits, cake, pastry, maida based all bakery products should be avoided by diabetic people.

Red Meat

Red meats are higher in trans fat and saturated fat leads to an increase in low-density lipoproteins increases heart-related issues like coronary heart disease, heart attacks, increases blood pressure. Some studies have also shown that consumption of red meat leads to the risk of Type 2 diabetes. (7)

Fried Foods

Fried foods contain loads of trans fat, carbohydrates, calories. Fatty food leads to unhealthy weight gain which is a risk factor for many comorbidities such as heart-related issues, cancer, including diabetes. so it is better to avoid deep-fried fatty food for healthy living.

Sugars

Every food contains sugar and after entering the human body every food gets converted into sugar. The only difference is some food taking time to metabolize sugar while some are easily metabolized and raise the blood sugar level very easily and quickly.

Sugar is found in so many forms like table sugar, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, cane sugar, jaggery, etc. All these forms are high glycemic index and not ideal for people with diabetes.

Fruit juices

It is always beneficial in taking fruit in the whole form instead of juice. Whole fruit contains fiber and makes them diabetic-friendly. Fruit juice is zero in fiber and high in sugars.

All fruits are not recommended for diabetes. So before adding them to your diabetic menu plan consult your dietitian or health care professional.

Packaged foods

Packaged foods are high in sodium for preservation and high sodium is leads to high blood pressure which is again not good for diabetic patients. Some packaged food contains a higher amount of refined sugar. Therefore it is better to completely cut down package food from your menu plan for healthy living

Carbonated sugary drinks

Carbonated sugary drinks contain empty calories means calories with zero nutritional value. Consumption of these drinks leads to bad consequences like an increase in bad cholesterol, heart diseases, worsen the symptoms of diabetes.

Carbonated drinks popularly known as soft drinks are also not good for bone health, it causes tooth decaying and cavities. It reduces bone strength.